St Photini and Her Sons Victor and Joses, the Women Anatolia, Photo, Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake and Domnina, and the Martyr Sebastian (+c. 66)
Saint Photini and her sons Victor and Joses, the women Anatolia, Photo, Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake and Domnina, and the Martyr Sebastian (c. 66). The holy Martyr Photini was the Samaritan woman with whom our Lord Jesus Christ spoke at Jacob’s well (John 4:5–42). In the time of the Emperor Nero (54–68) Saint Photini lived in Carthage with her younger son Joses and fearlessly preached Christianity. Her elder son Victor fought in the Roman army against the barbarians. For his exceptional bravery Victor was appointed military commander in the city of Attalia (Asia Minor).
When Sebastian, the governor of the city, learned that Saint Victor was a Christian, he advised him to submit to the emperor’s will and to have his mother and brother stop preaching in public. Saint Victor said to him: “Like my mother and my brother, I too wish to confess Christ publicly.” Sebastian warned the fearless Christian again: “Misfortune will befall thee for this.” But as soon as he had spoken these words, a sharp pain shot through his eyes, his face changed, and he was struck dumb.
For three days the head of the city lay blind and dumb. On the fourth day he said aloud: “Only the faith of Christ is true,” and to Victor, who was beside him, he said: “Christ is calling me.” He made the sign of the cross, and his eyes were opened. Seeing the miracle, Sebastian’s servants made the sign of the cross like their master.
Nero was told of what had happened. He ordered the Christians to be brought to Rome. Then the Saviour Himself appeared to the confessors and said: “I will be with you, and Nero and his servants shall be vanquished.” Then He turned to Saint Victor: “From this day thy name is Photinus, the radiant one, for thou shalt enlighten many.” He encouraged Saint Sebastian too: “Blessed is he that endureth to the end.” Photini, to whom God had revealed what was to come, set out from Carthage for Rome with several Christians to join the confessors.
In Rome the emperor summoned the saints and interrogated them. All the confessors refused to deny Christ. Nero ordered the saints’ fingers to be cut off. During the torture the confessors felt no pain, and Photini’s hands remained unharmed. By Nero’s order the eyes of Sebastian, Photinus and Joses were put out, and they were thrown into prison. Saint Photini, with her sisters Anatolia, Photo, Photis, Paraskeva and Kyriake, was sent to the emperor’s palace under the watch of Nero’s daughter Domnina. Saint Photini converted Domnina and her maidservants to the law of Christ, and converted also a sorcerer who brought poisoned wine to the confessors. Three years passed. Nero sent a servant to the prison and learned that the saints he had blinded, whose eyes had now been miraculously opened, were again fearlessly preaching Christ; the people came to them in crowds, and the prison had all but turned into a monastery. The emperor ordered the saints to be nailed to crosses and beaten for three days. On the fourth day Nero’s servants who came to the place of torture were struck blind. An angel of the Lord set the martyrs free and healed them. The saints besought the Lord to restore sight to the pagans. Healed, they believed in the almighty power of Christ and were baptised.
The enraged Nero ordered Saint Photini to be flayed and thrown into a well. The shins of Saints Sebastian, Photinus and Joses were cut, they were thrown to the dogs, and then they were flayed. Saint Photini’s sisters too were terribly tortured. Nero ordered their breasts to be cut and then their skin to be flayed. Saint Photis was tied by the feet to the tops of two bent trees and torn in half. The rest were beheaded. Saint Photini was brought up out of the well and shut in prison for twenty days.
After this Nero summoned the saint and advised her to submit and offer sacrifice to the idols. Saint Photini spat at the emperor and said to him: “Lawless one, blind, senseless and witless! Didst thou think that I would deny Christ the King and offer sacrifice to idols as blind as thou?” Nero had the saint thrown into the well again, and there she met her end.
